In Christian biblical studies, “the theology of history” refers to the understanding of history as shaped by God’s purpose and action. Unlike secular views of history, which may see events as random or solely influenced by human actions and natural processes, the theology of history views events within the context of God’s overarching plan, especially as it is revealed in Scripture. This perspective assumes that history unfolds according to God’s will and that each event has theological significance as part of a divine narrative. The key aspects of the theology of history in Christian thought are:

Divine Sovereignty: God is seen as the ultimate author and orchestrator of history, guiding events to achieve His redemptive purposes.

Salvation History: This concept focuses on key moments in the biblical narrative (like Creation, the Fall, the Exodus, the life of Jesus, and the anticipated return of Christ) as moments when God directly intervenes to guide humanity’s redemption.

Linear View of Time: Unlike some ancient beliefs that view time as cyclical, Christian theology generally views history as a linear progression with a beginning (Creation) and an end (the return of Christ and the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom).

Christ-Centered Fulfillment: Christian theology often holds that history finds its ultimate meaning in Jesus Christ, who fulfills Old Testament prophecies and reveals God’s character and purpose.

Eschatology: The study of “last things” or the end of history is essential to the theology of history, where God’s ultimate plans will be realized. This includes beliefs about resurrection, judgment, and the establishment of a new heaven and earth.

This theological perspective encourages Christians to interpret past and present events with the understanding that all of history is part of God’s redemptive work.

Especially among the medieval writers, such as Joachim of Fiore, the theology of history established epochs. For example, Joachim saw three ages of history: Age of God the Father (the Old Testament), the Age of the Son (the New Testament and age of the Church), and the Age of the Spirit (period before the 2nd coming marked by great signs). For the record, people interpreted the 11th century Joachim’s theology as reaching the third age with the coming of the Franciscans and Dominicans, the predicted appearance of “two great orders of men.”

Our 3rd Sunday gospel can be understood, in one sense, as the inflexion point between the first and second coming when the last of the “Old Testament prophets” – John the Baptist heralds the Messiah of the New Testament. Yet, it is interesting to note that Luke relates no encounter between Jesus and John. In fact, before we are told about Jesus’ baptism, we are informed that John has been put in prison! A traditional way of understanding this order of events is that Luke (the rhetorical historian) divides history into three separate and distinct eras. The first is the time of the prophets, which includes John the Baptist. That era ends with the imprisonment of John. John will no longer be in the picture. After that, the time of Jesus begins with a statement in our text about: (1) the opening of the heaven, (2) the coming down of the Holy Spirit in a visible form (dove); and (3) heavenly speech. This era of Jesus ends with his ascension — related only in Luke & Acts. Jesus will no longer be in the picture. After that, the time of the Holy Spirit (or the Church) begins with a statement in Acts 2:1-4 about (1) something coming “from heaven,” (2) the coming down of the Holy Spirit in a visible form (tongues of fire), and (3) heavenly speech.

For Luke, the movement from an old era into a new one required a break from the old – John is put in prison – Jesus ascends into heaven. Yet, at the same time, there are common elements in all three periods, such as the fulfillment of promises/prophecies and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

The fact that we are living in the third era sometimes needs to be emphasized. There are those whose faith is so centered on the historical Jesus, that they can’t live their lives in the new period under the power of the Holy Spirit. If all we do is talk about the historical Jesus, e.g., arguing about the virgin birth, the miracles, the physical resurrection – we may be making faith nothing more than believing historical events really happened, i.e., a history lesson. While such teachings are certainly part of our Christian confession of faith, for the early believers in the Book of Acts, faith was relying on the power of the Holy Spirit for life today. They recognized that Jesus had left this earth. In order for the ministry of Jesus to continue, it would have to be done by all the believers who had been filled with the power of the Holy Spirit – not by Jesus nor by particular Spirit-filled people, i.e., the prophets.

Image credit: John the Baptist Preaching | Pietre Lastman | 1219 | Chicago Museum of Art | PD-US